A/HRC/44/41 to raise awareness in the community of the rights of persons with disabilities will help their full and meaningful participation in consultations and decision-making. 36. National and international actors should technically and financially support the creation of disability inclusion groups and networks in the context of internal displacement and build their capacities to advocate for their rights and include their perspective at all decision-making levels. Respect for freedom of expression, freedom of association and peaceful assembly all contribute significantly to public participation by persons with disabilities. 37. Partnerships and training that brings together responders and organizations of persons with disabilities are a good practice for increasing the awareness of disability of humanitarian and development actors, but also for building the expertise and interest of national organizations of persons with disabilities in issues related to displacement and durable solutions.23 With greater awareness of the specific challenges faced by internally displaced persons, national organizations of persons with disabilities can play an important role in building relationships between hosts and displaced persons with disabilities. 38. The participation of displaced persons with disabilities outside camps presents additional challenges, as they may be dispersed among host communities in urban or rural settings. Digital media and other innovative communication tools, accessible in a variety of formats, may help reach out to displaced persons with disabilities, including those outside camp settings. Consultation of persons with disabilities within host communities also provides the authorities and their humanitarian and development partners with vital knowledge and perspectives. Development of law and policies and political participation 39. Internally displaced persons, including those with disabilities and their representative organizations, must be consulted and their views and experience taken into consideration in developing law and policies related to displacement. 24 Their voice and views matter for shaping policy to make it responsive to their experience. Furthermore, their participation will reduce stigma showing that persons with disabilities are rights holders capable of participating and engaging meaningfully at all levels of society (A/HRC/31/62, para. 31). 40. Participation by the full range of persons with disabilities in the development of relevant laws and policies is impeded when information and communication are inaccessible and support is unavailable. Decision-making bodies rarely produce information in accessible formats, such as Braille or Easy Read, or ensure the availability of sign language interpretation, guide interpreters for deaf or blind persons, or captioning during public debates (A/HRC/31/62, para. 76). Accessible information and communications technologies can significantly enhance the inclusion of persons with disabilities in public decision-making processes (A/HRC/31/30, para. 52). 41. Internally displaced persons with disabilities face multiple barriers to political participation, including a lack of access to documentation allowing them to vote or stand for office and physical, communication and attitudinal barriers to meetings, polling stations and other processes. National laws may deny the legal capacity to vote or stand for election on the grounds of disability (A/HRC/19/36, para. 41 and A/HRC/31/62, paras. 19–20). Persons with disabilities should be entitled to be assisted to vote by a person of their own choice. Voting procedures, facilities and materials should be accessible. Political rights can be facilitated by the use of assistive and new technologies. Awareness-raising campaigns and material regarding the political rights of internally displaced persons should feature persons with disabilities, in particular women with disabilities.25 23 24 25 See, for example, Disability Alliance, “Bridge CRPD-SDGs Module 3 on article 11 of the CRPD”, 19 June 2019. See, for example, CRPD/C/UGA/CO/1, para. 20 (a); CRPD/C/MMR/CO/1, para. 21 (a); CRPD/C/HTI/CO/1, para. 20 (b); and CRPD/C/TUR/CO/1, para. 23. See contribution from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. 9